Software

Web Services

About

About Adrian Try

A reader, researcher, writer and trainer, I'm
also a musician and family man whose sixth child and second grandchild
were born in November 2008. You can read my blog at www.adriantry.com.

My
first job was in the Data Centre of a bank in the early 80s. During the
mid eighties I completed a degree in Pure Mathematics which included
various computer subjects, and I became more familiar with using Unix
mainframe computers. In the late eighties and early nineties, I forgot
Unix as I learnt DOS and then Windows. I worked for many years as a
computer trainer during this period, and was interested in exploring
alternative computer programs and operating systems, including DR DOS
and GeoWorks.

In the early 2000s I discovered open source
software, and started using it on a Windows XP computer. In 2003 I
started playing with Linux (initially Xandros), and migrated to it as
my main operating system later that year. I recommend that most people
interested in adopting Linux take several months (or even a year) in
making the switch. There is a lot to learn, and it also takes time to
discover new programs that meet your needs.

Currently (among
other things) I maintain several Windows Server 2003 networks, teach
accredited computer training courses, and run Try Another Angle.

About Try Another Angle

From
2005-2006 I provided computer tech support to families over the phone
five nights a week. During that time I became intensely aware of how
powerless families feel when experiencing computer problems, how
ignorant they are about the basic workings of computers, and sometimes
heard horror stories about the quality of service they received when
paying for professional computer help. I saw a need.

In response to this, Try Another Angle came into being in late 2006 with the aim to:

Equip and train families to be able to better use their computers

Offer them more effective support at an affordable price

Let them know about more cost-effective ways of using their computers

This
has been accomplished through computer support visits to homes,
offering phone and email support, providing computer training
one-on-one and in small groups, setting up computer training courses in
local internet cafes and similar, and through providing training
resources and reference online.

About This Site

This site is will
continue to grow and develop over time as I write further articles and
discover new resources on the internet. Consider this simple start as the foundation.

It has been created
using only free and open software and web services. While I normally
create websites with the open source software Drupal or Wordpress, for this site (after long and careful consideration), I have chosen Google Sites.

Why Am I Using Google Sites?

I've
chosen Google Sites for this website as a proof of concept. I am
committed to using web services in my workflow, and I want to explore
what it is like to build a website using Google Sites. I want to see
how far I can take it, as well as exploring its advantages and
disadvantages.

What are some of the advantages? Firstly, the
cost of hosting this site is completely free. The software is quite
good, and improving all the time. Many things are easy to do (though
you can run into the limits of what you can do pretty quickly). It
works well with other Google services, including Google Docs, Google
Calendar, Google Gadgets and Youtube. So far I have been surprised with how much I've
been able to customise the site.

Some disadvantages? The site is
stored on Google's server, and I can't directly back up the site
because I don't have access to the software. (I can back up the data
fairly easily, though.) Google's license is concerning - it claims
ownership of a whole lot of stuff I do - though that's probably just to
cover themselves from lawsuits. And the software isn't open source, so
we're completely reliant on Google to maintain and improve it. And they
can pull the plug at any time, just as they did with Google Pages,
their previous software, leaving many users frustrated. Also, it gives
us no way (at present) to allow readers of this site a way to comment. (There is a way of using a Google
Spreadsheets form to do this, but it's not ideal.)